What Next?
by ktoll9
Summary: A Little Series of One-shots that give you a peek into the Skip Beat universe. I think these little stories will be my reward to Ren for what I did to him in Ticket to Love. Hope you Enjoy. 8)
1. Momentary Remorse

**_**I do not own Skip Beat!**_**

 ** ** _Thank you Yoshiki Nakamura for all of your incredible talent._****

* * *

 **Momentary Remorse**

"AAAHHHH!" She screamed out in pain. "Please! Make it stop!"

He winced. He was desperately trying to do everything he could to bring her comfort to no avail.

"You can do this, you're the strongest woman I know." He reassured her, kissing her on the forehead and rising.

"Please... don't leave." She begged with a needy voice.

"It's okay." He smiled gently. "Doctor!" He yelled in a pleading voice.

"I assure you sir, she will make it. Okay? Just stay by her side and continue what you are doing." the older gentleman instructed as he checked on the young woman writhing in the pain equivalent to being split in half.

"AAAHHHH!" She screamed again as he felt her pain on a spiritual level.

"Mr. Hizuri, this is perfectly normal at this stage. Your wife and children will be fine. There are no complications." the Doctor reassured him.

Kuon sighed as he massaged the delicate hand of his wife as she firmly gripped his hand in a bone-crushing fashion.

"I'm here Kyoko. It's going to be okay."

"Tell me that when you're on this bed shitting a refrigerator!" Mio spat out. "Oh god! Another one is coming." She tensed up.

"You need to relax darling." He reminded her.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! I'm about to give birth to two small sports cars and you're telling me to relax?!" Natsu hissed with a baffled look on her face.

He stared at the floor in remorse. _How could I do this to her?_ He felt lower than pond scum at the moment.

"Doctor! Baby A has descended into the birth canal." The nurse announced as the doctor donned his gloves and face mask.

"Are you ready Mrs. Hizuri?" The doctor asked as he got into position.

"NO, No, no! I can't do this anymore! It hurts too much." She cried out in fear.

"Yes, you can. You're almost done. Just wait for the next one then push." He instructed.

"You can do this Sweetheart." Kuon told her in a comforting voice.

"AAAHHH, UuuNNNN!" She growled.

"Good job, Kyoko-chan. Just a couple more like that and your little one will be here." The doctor reassured her.

And with two more strong pushes Kyoko and Kuon saw their first little squealing bundle squirming in the nurse's arms.

Kyoko sighed with relief then dread as another contraction hit.

"Whoa! This little guy is eager to meet you." Exclaimed the doctor.

Once again Kyoko screamed, grunted and pushed her other little bundle into the harsh hospital lights.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Hizuri. You have a beautiful little girl and a handsome little boy." The nurse announced as she lay the two squealing, squirming naked little imps on Kyoko's bare breast to take their first look at the mommy whose voice they had become so accustomed to in the womb.

"Hello Hime, Hiko.. I'm your daddy." Kuon cooed at the little bundles as he gently wrapped his newly completed family in his arms with a soft smile that would melt the sun itself. "I love you my Queen. Thank you."

"Thank you Kuon." She sighed in a euphoric tone basking in the afterbirth hormone overdrive of a newly initiated mother.


	2. Animal Instinct

****_Thank you Yoshiki Nakamura for all of your incredible talent._****

 ** ** _I do not own Skip Beat!_****

* * *

 ** ** _Animal Instinct_****

There she sat next to him in his little silver foreign sports car, dressed in a black tight tank top and short denim shorts with tennis shoes. It was a hot day and they were on their way to an on location shoot for their next drama. It was hard enough to concentrate on the road with her just merely being in the car with him. His mind raced as he thought of her sensuous sweat-kissed body that sat next to him.

"Oh, sorry Tsuruga-san. I need to grab something out of the back seat."

"It's okay, just reach back and grab it." He told her casually granting permission.

His heart almost stopped as he watched from the corner of his eye as her body wedged itself between the passenger's seat and the driver's seat. Her well toned and sensuous lower half was perfectly in his view. Then it hit him... Her scent. That delicious scent of a female that sends every male into a fit of desire. He wanted nothing more than to bury his face like a male animal in rut in that erotic aroma and die there.

"Umm, Mogami-san.." He croaked out desperately trying to hide his desire. "Are you finished? It can be quite dangerous for you like that while I'm driving." _In more ways than one_ , he thought to himself as he white-knuckled the steering-wheel. He could feel the desire clouding his mind as her scent kept assaulting his senses causing his mind to wander where it didn't need to at the moment. _I can't drive like this. I need to pull over, quickly._

Finally, he found a rest stop and pulled over to clear his head and work the kinks out of his tightening pants. _Two more hours of driving,_ he sighed to himself. _Can I do this with her in the car?_

"Here you go Tsuruga-san." She cheerfully handed him the water bottle. "You look like you aren't feeling well. Are you going to be okay?" She asked with concern.

"Oh, I'll be fine." He answered. _If I could just have one long taste of you I would be even better_.

Kyoko shivered when she heard his voice telling her he would be fine. Her body heated up and once again, just like in the car, she felt the familiar tingle of excitement that longed for his deep touch. She knew that once they reached their destination she would have to change her little black silk panties because of the drive. She shifted from foot to foot out of nervousness, hoping he didn't notice her arousal. (Oh, he noticed alright.)

"Hm, everything okay Mogami-san?" Ren asked in a silken seductive voice, doing everything he could in his mind to regain control of his run-away senses.

"We should get back on the road Tsuruga-san." She scolded.

"You're right." He agreed and with that they continued their drive both oblivious to each other's desires.


	3. Lory's Safari

**_**I do not own Skip Beat!**_**

 ** _ **Thank you Yoshiki Nakamura for all of your incredible talent.**_**

* * *

 ** _ **Lory's Safari**_**

"Ah, what we have here ladies and gentlemen," Lory narrated in a low voice, "is the red-blooded American male green-eyed golden lion, also known as the Hizuri-us Kuon-us"

"Right now he is on the hunt and warding off any other males that may have caught scent of his potential mate. The rare golden-eyed female Japanese copper lioness, also known as the Mogami-us Kyoko-us." Lory continued in a low voice as he panned the mini camera to the left and right then followed Ren's line of sight.

"On the left we have a rare _silver beagle_ and on the right we have the golden dyed _Japanese Weasel._ " He continued on as a documentarian would while he hid behind the potted plants in the lobby and observed Ren's interaction with Reino and Sho.

* * *

"Now, at first look one would think that the female would be a quite timid creature but, as you see here she can be quite ferocious when the male has not consumed a full meal." Lory giggled pointing the camera in Kyoko's direction as he caught her on film scolding Ren rather animatedly for skipping breakfast.

"Grandfather! Are you spying on Onee-san and Ren-san again?" the exasperated ten year old scolded Lory.

"No?." He answered sheepishly.

"Then why are you dressed in full safari gear and holding a camera?"

"I'm just documenting." He claimed indignantly as she took the camera from him and erased the footage.

"But... Maria!" He pleaded as she walked away with the small camera and left him pouting with nothing to do for the rest of the day.


	4. It's Too Big

**_**I do not own Skip Beat!**_**

 ** _ **Thank you Yoshiki Nakamura for all of your incredible talent.**_**

* * *

 _ **It's Too Big**_

At this point in their relationship Kyoko and Ren had finally stopped using family names and honorifics but, that was only in private. After all, no one else needed to know their status as a couple. They wanted to enjoy their privacy for a little longer.

* * *

"Ren, it's too big it will never fit." She panted in a breathless voice as the fake blond rock star listened through the dressing room door.

"Come on Kyoko, could you at least try?" He heard the voice he hated reply to her in a seductive tone.

"But, it's huge! I've never seen one that big!" Sho paled and almost passed out.

"Okay how about we wrap it first and then put it in?"

"Oh! Why didn't I think of that? We have to protect it." She said in a no nonsense tone.

Moments passed with Sho's ear practically glued to the dressing room door spying on the couple.

"Ah..." She sighed, "You were right. Wrapping it helped and it felt great to get it in there finally. Thank you for helping with that."

"What the hell, Kyoko!" Sho screamed as he flung open the door to find the stunned couple sitting on the floor with a large box between them wrapped in children's birthday gift wrap.


	5. Pheromones

**_**I do not own Skip Beat!**_**

 ** _ **Thank you Yoshiki Nakamura for all of your incredible talent.**_**

* * *

 ** _ **Pheromones**_**

"Aw, he's so adorable." Kyoko cooed as the little black and tan terrier started licking her and sniffing her. "What? Wait little doggy! Don't do that!" As the little scruffy ball of fur decided to stake a claim on her, mount her leg and furiously started humping her.

Ren started snickering, "Mogami-san, I think he may be attached to you." _Not that I blame him,_ he thought as he approached to remove the little Casanova from her leg. "Ow!" Ren yelped as the little dog bit him. "I'll go find his owner." _Little bastard._ Ren fumed as he rubbed the little teeth marks on his hand and set of to find the owner near the trailers.

When Ren returned, he found a terrified and very confused Kyoko being _courted_ by an overly excited Tom cat that completely ignored the little canine pest, a colorful bird was sitting on her shoulder and ruffling it's feathers in a mating ritual and a white male horse from the outdoor set's menagerie had also arrived to lend her his affections by snuffling her hair and ear.

"Ts-Ts-Tsuruga-san," The petrified girl stuttered, "What do I do?".

"Wait here, I'll go find the animal wrangler." A baffled Ren told her.

"Okay." She squeaked.

 _What the hell? I can definitely relate though._ He thought as he searched for the animal wrangler to aid in Kyoko's rescue.

* * *

"Tsuruga-san! Thank you so much." The rattled girl ran to Ren and threw herself into his arms for protection from the upset and very overly hormonally stimulated animals after their trainer had collected them and led them away.

"It's okay Mogami-san." Ren told her holding her closely, burying his nose in her hair and taking a deep breath to inhale her delicious scent. _Mmm, she smells really good today._ He rubbed her back. _Really good._ His mind was clouding up.

"Ren...?" She whispered with a sultry voice as she turned her face to look up at him with a completely relaxed countenance.

"Mmm?" He answered feeling as though his head were filled with cotton instead of grey matter.

"I love you." She told him, forgetting her promise to herself to never breathe a word of it to him.

Those were the only words he needed to hear. He quickly responded by claiming her mouth with an intense fiery passion that sent shivers down her spine as he pulled her in tighter and allowed her to feel his _rising_ problem.

"I love you too, Kyoko." He sighed with a smile that was only meant for her as he slightly pulled away. She finally realized just exactly what the Emperor of The Night look meant and gave him a sly smile as she pulled him in for another passion filled kiss.


	6. Shut Up!

_**I do not own Skip Beat!**_

 ** _Thank you Yoshiki Nakamura for all of your incredible talent._**

* * *

 _ **Shut Up!**_

Like two males marking their territory Ren and Sho had been posturing and arguing with each other about Kyoko. Somehow Sho had pulled Ren into a _**Whose Better For Kyoko**_ argument and it had gone on for about thirty minutes. Kyoko had just happened upon the two angry lovestruck fools about five minutes in and five minutes after that, due to them not noticing her presence, had unconventionally and unintentionally confessed to her while they were arguing, all the while as she had been sitting on the sidelines. This gave Kyoko time to think as she tuned out the two males as their arguing went on. Finally at the twenty minute mark she had reached the conclusion, with a cleared mind and sound heart, that she really did love Ren and she wasn't going to hold it in anymore.

Kyoko continued to observe the males for five more minutes trying to come up with a way to stop the noise and separate them. Finally, at the thirty minute mark she knew what to do.

Kyoko sighed as she rose from the bench and slowly approached Ren. As she positioned herself in front of him to gain his undivided attention, she grabbed his necktie and pulled him to her. She looked him squarely in the eyes. "I love you, Ren...", she then planted the most passionate and heat filled kiss on him that he had ever known in all of his life.

"K-Ky-Kyoko?" His eyes bulged and he was completely frozen and speechless. As he was trying to put together in his mind what had just happened, she dragged him to her dressing room by his hand leaving Sho completely bewildered and on his knees wondering what had just happened.


	7. The Game

_****I do not own Skip Beat!****_

 _ _ **Thank you Yoshiki Nakamura for all of your incredible talent.**__

* * *

 _ **The Game**_

Ren shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he watched his little Kyoko-chan enjoy the cool sweetness of the popsicle.

"Mmm," She moaned with delight. "I think I really like the strawberry one's." She purred as her tongue caressed the six inch popsicle up its length.

Ren's eyes bulged as he watched her slide the entirety of the icy treat into her mouth and out again causing him to crush the container that his slushy drink was in, shooting it into the air and causing it to land in his lap in a blue mess.

Kyoko giggled then stood and walked to him with a very regal smirk. "I told you I'd win." She cooed seductively into his hear while patting his shoulder.

"Yeah, but you cheated." He growled sexily sending shivers down her spine as he pulled her into his lap and the icy blue mess. "I guess I'm your slave tonight." He grinned slyly.

"I guess you are Kuon." She whispered as she nibbled his ear.

"Mo! Do that at home you two! Wasn't the Honeymoon long enough?" A blushing Kanae scolded the couple as Yashiro shielded his eyes in embarrassment.


	8. All In The Hips

**_**I do not own Skip Beat!**_**

 _ _ **Thank you Yoshiki Nakamura for all of your incredible talent.**__

* * *

 _ **All In The Hips**_

It wasn't really a closed set for the scene but, Ren and the director agreed that Kyoko probably didn't want a big audience for it. When Kyoko walked onto the set she was already in character to protect herself from the embarrassment that was her costume.

"Ishara, are you going to dance for us today?" The director asked.

The veiled beauty nodded.

"Places! Ishara will now dance for us! And Action!" The director called out.

Her bare feet rose and fell. Jingling from the little metallic discs kept time as her hips undulated in little circles and her breasts popped back and forth with the music as the seven veils that she donned came off one by one leaving her with only a jeweled and sequined bra and panties covering her body and a final veil left covering her face when she was finished.

Director, cast, crew, actors for the scene, extras, Ren and an uninvited blond in the shadows were left mesmerized and stunned into speechlessness.

"Cut~" The director croaked out being the first to regain his sanity that had been drained by the goddess of creation that Kyoko was portraying.

The goddess nodded with a veiled smile and gracefully left the sand covered set and her seven veils that covered her body, to return to her dressing room and change costume.

At last the others snapped out of their Kyoko induced stupors and returned to duty. Ren exited to his dressing room for a cold, cold shower and a speechless, smitten Sho returned to his car.

"Sho.. Are you okay." Shoko was worried as the color of his face kept shifting from crimson red, to pink, to pale white, to blue and back to red.

He nodded. "Shoko... Can you take me home please." He stuttered as the nearly naked goddess danced her way across his mind. He would not be able to face her for a while after this without those images dancing through his head. _She_ _ **is**_ _a goddess..._ A whisper in the back of his mind quietly announced.


	9. Falling

**_I do not own Skip Beat!_**

 _ **Thank you Yoshiki Nakamura for all of your incredible talent.**_

* * *

 **Falling**

 _Finally_ , she clung to him. Her slender sensuous legs were wrapped firmly around his waist. Her lithe body wrapped him in warmth. His arms wrapped around her protectively and they jumped. She screamed and held tighter while his heart swelled. Their bodies jerked with the rush of the release and they slowly floated down in serenity. Finally they landed together covered in silk.

"Wow! That was fun Ren!" She squealed.

"See. Told you skydiving was fun." He told her with a playful smirk.

 _If this is all it takes, I'll take her every day_. He thought lustily as he reminisced about the feeling of having her so intimately wrapped around him for at least 5 minutes.


	10. The Game: Second Match

_****I do not own Skip Beat!****_

 _ ** _Thank you Yoshiki Nakamura for all of your incredible talent._**_

* * *

 _ **The Game: Second Match**_

His tongue lazily circled the outer crest of the creamy treat never once breaking eye contact with her. He dipped it in and out and around in little circles with a sly smirk on his lips.

"Huh." She gave a light gasp as she felt the blush from her ears creep to the back of her neck and little beads of sweat formed on her brow. She could barely breathe. Her mouth became dry and she felt little shivers crawl up her spine as a warmth pooled to her very core.

"You're right Babe," He purred, "I think I like the strawberry too."

"Fine. You win this one. Let's go!" She announced as she dragged him out of the ice cream shop.

"Heh, heh. Your turn to play slave." The Emperor whispered sexily in her ear. _Too easy_ , he thought.


	11. What The?

_**Unfortunately I do not own Skip Beat!**_

 _ **Thanks to the creator for being such an inspiration. 8)**_

* * *

 _ **What The?!...**_

"Ugh... Reino..." She panted with a lustful tone. He moulten gold eyes were filled with desire. "Please.. don't... stop." She whined.

"Don't worry beautiful.. I won't stop until you're all mine." he whispered in a low sexy growl as his lips trailed down her body sending shivers of pleasure in every direction. _Finally_ , he thought as he licked, nipped and gently sucked his way down past her hips and onto her thighs. _Ahh, her beautiful erotic smell._ He wanted to breath as much of her in before he couldn't anymore.

"I want you so much." He whispered into the dark little curls as his tongue landed on it's playground. His mind was going wild as her hips bucked and her screams of pleasure invaded his senses. As she fell over the edge of oblivion he resurfaced to indulge in her soft velvety lips once more then plunged deep into her still pulsing warmth and lost himself completely.

"Ah, that was a nice dream." He reminisced as he lay wrapped in the black satin sheets of his bed. "This is going to be a great day." He smiled.

* * *

"What a fucking nightmare!" She shot up out of her futon. "Ugh, this is going to be a miserable day." She groaned as she made her bed and gathered her things for a shower.

* * *

"What the hell was that?!" Sho's eyes popped open. "Damn it all, now I feel like I need to wash my eyes out with soap. I didn't want to even imagine him naked, but she was fucking hot!" Now he needed a cold shower and was very conflicted by being aroused by a dream that contained Kyoko and Reino.

* * *

"I'm going to kill that little bastard!" Ren's eyes popped open with the fury and the desire to hunt down the singer. "She would never do that." He lay trying to calm himself and forcing rationality back into his mind.


	12. Why Not Me?

_**Unfortunately I do not own Skip Beat!**_

 _ **Thanks to the creator for being such an inspiration. 8)**_

* * *

 _ **Why Not Me?**_

Shivers ran down her spine as those piercing green eyes gazed into hers. The feel of his gentle masculine hands as they slowly caressed their way up her thighs then over the bare skin of her hips, waist and ribs lit a fire in her very soul. Her love and lust filled golden eyes met his green as his velvety tongue teased her silken lips. He could taste the sweetness of her kiss. It invaded all of his senses sending him into a desperate frenzy of desire, wanting even more. He couldn't get enough of her taste. The taste of her skin, the taste of her mouth and finally the very taste of her.

"Kuon..." Her voice was like that of a siren's call that would dash sailors upon rocky shores. He trailed back up to her sweet mouth to indulge in another of her heated and passionate kisses. Taking in the joy of feeling her tongue as it played with his, bringing him even closer to the edge with just a kiss.

"I love you." He whispered breathlessly as his kisses trailed up and down her elegant neck.

"I love you too, Kuon." She breathed passionately into his ear as she nibbled on it.

His hand trailed down her waist, to her hip, to her thigh then to the very core of her femininity and then began to bring her to the brink of exquisite pleasure, eliciting cries of pure ecstasy.

"I want you, Kyoko. I need you so much." He voice tinged with love, lust, desire and pure need.

"Please." She begged as they indulged in another passion filled kiss.

Screams of pleasure filled the night as he filled and satisfied the needs of them both.

* * *

"That was a really nice dream." She smiled as she slowly opened her eyes.

"What was that Babe?" He asked as she snuggled into him taking in his manly scent that drove her wild.

"Mmmm.." She softly hummed as she traced little patterns on his bare chest in the soft morning light as the soothing ocean breeze gently billowed through the gauzy curtains of their Honeymoon Suite.

* * *

"What the Hell!" Sho screamed as he fell out of his bed. "Why is it everybody, but me?!" He spit out in anger, frustration and confusion. He wasn't going to get any more sleep and it was only five in the morning. "Well, might as well take a shower and get dressed."

"Sho? Why are you up so early?" asked the buxom blonde sleepily as she sat on the sofa sipping her morning coffee.

"Never mind Shoko, I'm going to take a shower." He said with irritation and headed to the shower to prepare for his day.

* * *

Reino's eyes popped open. "Well, that was quite unexpected." He sighed looking at his alarm clock. It seemed as though this was going to be a rather unpleasant and disappointing day.


	13. The Family Way

_****I do not own Skip Beat!****_

 ** ** _Thank you Yoshiki Nakamura for all of your incredible talent._****

* * *

 _ **The Family Way**_

It finally just dawned on her as she leveled her eyes at the young man that she had shared most of her young life with. How could she have not noticed this about Sho? It was so completely obvious. She giggled.

"What do you want Shotaro Onii-san." She sighed.

"Wha...What?" His mind went blank. His cocky smile fell and his heart sank. She called him brother? His world was spinning into darkness. How could this have happened. Did she just escort him into the brother-zone? This can't be!

"Nii-san, what do you want." She smiled at him. It was a smile that he hadn't seen since they were children and it was breaking his heart. This isn't where he wanted to be.

"Nothing Imouto. I just wanted to see how you were doing." He mumbled and sighed with pain in his shattered heart. Kyoko had finally driven him to a place where there was no return from. She only saw him as family and he could not deny this. Everything between them, everything they had done together and his treatment of her his entire life pointed him in the direction of being her brother. This... this could not be fixed.


	14. Enters The Queen

_**Enters The Queen**_

* * *

Ahh... That look.. He knew that look. When that look came out the temperature in the room went up 15 degrees, ties would loosen and tents would be pitched. That sultry look, the cat-like grace and the gentle sway of her hips. Oh, that look. Did she know what it did to men? He surmised that there wasn't a man on the planet that was immune to that look and possibly some women too. He loosened his tie. How could he not? It was hard to think. It felt like she had packed his skull with cotton balls. His knees felt like they were made of gelatin. How could he deal with that look?

"You should really not skip lunch." She cooed at him as she approached.

He smirked lustily at her, "Only if you join me, Wife." The Emperor cooed back.


	15. What Was Ren Thinking?

_**What Was Ren Thinking?**_

* * *

Oh, it was the most wonderful thing on the planet. He could feel her naked little thighs warming his waist and her little silk panties that covered her warmth on his lower belly. He wanted more than anything to grab those sexy little hips of hers, slide her down a fraction and grind away. That laid back look of her Setsuka was driving him insane. How her slick little tongue moistened her lips and the feel of her small hands as they skimmed over his bare chest. The feel of her sweet mouth sucking hard on his neck brought other things to mind he would like for her to do.

He flipped her over and then he spoke. _Damn-it! Why the fuck did I have to open my mouth?! Why didn't I just kiss her like I wanted to?! How stupid do I have to be?! Shit! I pissed her off! Wait.. What? She's going to what? Oh hell to the no! Over my dead rotten worm infested corpse she is! I will tie her ass up to keep her in this room!_


	16. What Is This?

_**What Is This?**_

* * *

Kyoko knelt before him as she fumbled trying to pick up the multiple packages that the hotel staff had given her in compensation for mixing up their room.

"Teas, saltines, coffee, soaps and oh... What is this?" She pondered as she picked up the little square package with the faint outline of a perfect little circle creasing through it.

That was all Ren needed for him to snap. As if her long, perfect bare legs, barely covered by her miniskirt weren't enough, he had a perfect view down her corseted top to her bra-less cleavage and now she was holding several individually wrapped condoms in her hand, wondering why they had given them to her.

"That's it! Let's go." He told her as he pulled her up from the floor. He had to get her covered. There was no way he was going to survive this with her scantily clad visage. And that is the real reason Ren Tsuruga snapped that night. Muahaha...


	17. Lies

_**Lies**_

* * *

The taste of her skin, the softness of her pliant lips, her scent, the warmth, he couldn't get her off his mind. He wanted more as she danced through his mind. He was tired of fantasizing about the feelings. He wanted her. He had to have her. He ran his fingers through her silken hair.

"You taste and feel so good, baby." Sho whispered into her ear as he nibbled with his eyes closed tightly.

Her gentle moans echoed in his ears.

"I love you, Kyoko." He whispered.

Her rich chocolate brown eyes popped open and she pushed him violently from the bed. "What the hell, Sho-chan!?"

Her shrill childish voice yanked him from his self-induced hallucinogenic fantasy. "P-poochie?!"

She quickly covered herself with the bed sheet as she ripped it from his bed and stormed around his bedroom looking for her clothing. "I am done! I am not your pet! I am not your dog! And I am tired of being your replacement for her! I AM NOT HER!"

"Poochie! Come on... be reasonable... It was an accident. Why would I be thinking of her. You're so much more?" He tried to smooth talk her.

"Fuck off Sho!" She slammed the bedroom door behind her as she stormed out while dressing, leaving Sho sitting on his bed.

"Stupid, plain women... I didn't want you anyway. Your boring... So unsexy." He lied to himself those same old lies.

* * *

It had been two days since his failure with Mimori. Sho was sitting on his sofa enjoying a nice little episode of Kimagure Rock and nearly drown in his beer when he saw who the guests would be. Some guy named Kuon Hizuri and Kyouko. His Kyoko... He hadn't seen her in awhile.

"So Hizuri-san... I heard you had some special news." Hikaru asked the tall blond.

Kuon took Kyoko's hand in his flashing their wedding rings. Sho lost all color.

Kuon smiled brightly. "Yes... My beautiful new bride and I are expecting."

The audience gasped and cheered. Sho screamed. "What the hell? When did this happen?" He had been on world tour for the past six months.

Shinichi chuckled. "Ah, a honeymoon baby. Congratulations!"

"Thank you." Kyoko and Kuon responded.

Sho threw his beer bottle through the television and fell to the floor. "NO... No, no, no, no!" Beating on the hardwood floor until his hands were broken, bloodied and bruised.


	18. Photo Finish

_**Photo Finish**_

* * *

"Do you love him?" He demanded an answer.

"NO, but I don't see how it's any of your business anyway. It's not like you love me, so you have no right to be angry about it!" She spat out.

"I...How would you know?" He asked.

She sighed. "Look... I know what you told Bo... I'm Bo... You said that you wouldn't allow yourself to love anyone. So don't get angry with me because someone loves me, when I know you don't."

He stared down at the tile. "I'm Corn..." He whispered.

Her eyes grew wide. "What did you say?"

"I said, I'm Corn." He told her, then took his contacts out and dropped them one by one on the ground.

She stared at the little brown discs that lay on the floor before her and glanced up at him. "Why? I... I don't understand. Why would you do this? You say you can't love anyone, then you tell me you love me. You lie to me about who you are, then make fun of me when I tell you about... YOU... I... I can't do this right now." She turned from him and began to walk away.

He grabbed her arm to stop her. "Kyoko, please listen."

"Don't..." She pulled her arm from his grip sharply. "Not right now... Maybe later, but not now. I need time." She told him.

"I didn't mean to." He whispered to her.

She turned back to him in anger. "YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO WHAT!?"

"I didn't mean to fall in love with you!" He confessed.

A look of extreme pain fell over her delicate features. "Am I that repulsive? That you would never want to fall in love with me? That it was purely accidental?" She chuckled wryly. "Well then... Don't worry about it, I forgive you!" She told him sarcastically while fighting the pain and tears. She ran as he stood staring at the floor not realizing what had just happened.

"If you don't go after her, I will send her so far from you... The only way you will ever see her again will be in the movie theaters overseas." A familiar voice warned him.

* * *

He searched. He searched for hours. He finally found her in the little park across the street at dusk. He sat next to her and wrapped the unresponsive little goddess in his arms. "You didn't let me finish..."

She was silent.

"You dazzle me Kyoko. I never meant to fall in love with you, but I most certainly don't regret any of it. I would do it over and over again. I love you... I can't stop loving you, nor would I want to. I can't think without you and I believe I wouldn't be able to breath without you. I love you so damn much it hurts inside when you aren't there." He sighed. "Kyoko... I didn't mean to hurt you and I didn't want to lie to you about who I was. Out of all the people in the world, you are the only one who can see the real me." He quietly began to tell her his story, all of it.

She looked up at him in tears and wrapped her arms around him when he finished.

"So... You see... You're the only one that knows. I wasn't lying when I said you make me glad that I was born. You make me glad to be alive, Kyoko." He told her and searched her eyes.

"I'm sorry..." She said softly. "I'm sorry I was angry."

He chuckled and shook his head. "No... You had a right to be."

"Kuon..." She whispered as the streetlights started to come on and it started to sprinkle. "I do love you. I have for awhile." She confessed to him.

"You do?" He said quietly as he smiled at her lovingly. "You...You really do?"

A small smile crossed her lips and she nodded to him as he pulled her in tightly and let out a sigh of relief.

He pulled away a bit and looked into her eyes. "Can I kiss you?" He asked. He almost sounded like a little boy asking for permission.

She blushed and gave a quick nod.

He quickly dove in and poured all of his feelings into the one kiss, leaving them both lightheaded and flushed from the experience. He held her closely as he rested his head on hers in the light rain. "Will you be mine?" He asked lovingly.

"Are you sure?" She needed to know she wasn't just hearing things.

He nodded. "Yes... I want to be yours forever if you'll have me." He told her.

She looked up at him with wide eyes and saw the truth. "I will." She answered nervously while blushing. "What do we do now?" She asked after they had sat there quietly for a few moments enjoying each other's company.

He kissed her crown and cheek. "Well... I suppose we should get out of the rain. Then we should probably warn Yashiro-san that he may have his work cut out for him tomorrow." He chuckled. There was no way no one saw this.

"Sorry." She whispered.

"Don't be." He smiled, stood and offered his hand. "You're worth it."


	19. Birds & Bees

_**Birds & Bees**_

* * *

"Daddy! Daddy! Guess what?!" The enchanting little raven-haired, green-eyed sprite excitedly squealed as she bounced into the bedroom and landed squarely on Kuon Hizuri's stomach as he lounged while studying his script.

He smiled brightly at her enthusiasm and lay his script on the side table. "What is it Princess?"

"Baby Ryuu has a penis! Mommy says it's because he's a boy and all boys have penises. Daddy, you're a boy... Do you have one too?" She asked inquisitively as her father went pale then about 45 different shades of crimson.

Kyoko gasped and matched her husband's color palette as she heard the question when entering the room with Baby Ryuu in her arms. "Hannah! That is not an appropriate question to ask." Kyoko squeaked in exasperation.

And thus would begin the years of explaining the birds and the bees for the young Hizuri parents.

* * *

 _ **A/N: No lie... This happened to me and my husband when our daughter was 3 years old and our son was about 6 months old. Was just reminiscing and thought it would be cute to put them through that type of parenting hell. LOL.**_


	20. Racing With Kuon

_**Racing With Kuon**_

* * *

Fingers dexterously caressed sensitive buttons. Excitement flooded his mind with the rush of the moment.

"Kuon!" She cried out. "No fair."

Kuon chuckled mischievously and leaned back against the sofa. "Hah! I win this round."

"One more time. This time I get the Mustang." She pouted.

"Alright princess. I'll set it up, while you get the drinks." He smirked.

"No way, I let you last time. We get them together. No cheatsies." She scolded as she took the game controller from him and set it on the coffee table right before he pulled her into his lap and kissed her soundly. There was no way he was giving up his winning streak today.


	21. An Experiment In Kyoko

_**An Experiment In Kyoko**_

* * *

She wasn't feeling especially Kyoko-ish today. She wasn't sure what had caused it but a combination of Natsu and Setsuka had invaded her personality today and she felt a little coquettish. Lucky for her or, unlucky for him, her target just happened to be walking towards her and her now permanent manager. This was going to be fun.

As he walked into the lobby he saw the little vixen and wondered what god had decided to curse him for the day. Her strawberry-blonde hair was slicked back a la Natsu and her walk was as deadly as Setsuka. She had decided to display her beautifully sensuous long legs with a cowl-necked, lilac, long sleeved sweater dress that came up just above mid-thigh. Her legs were covered with thigh high grey, suede leather boots and her makeup was dabbed on with perfection.

The sway of her hips threw him into a hypnotic haze of lust. He shook his head to clear the image from his mind with considerable effort. "Mogami-san... How are you today?" He fought through her pheromone perfumed fog that had invaded his mind.

"I'm fine Tsuruga-san... and you?" She murmured a very sexy octave lower than her normal voice with hooded narrowed eyes through thick, black lashes.

 _Fuck it! I can't take this any more._ His mind screamed. And much to the shock of the multitude of people that surrounded them, Kuon snaked his arm around her pulled her tightly to him and claimed her perfectly plump lips. She smiled into the kiss as his lips passionately glided over hers. His tongue quickly took the advantage and slipped past to caress hers as his hands began to run up and down her slim back. He pulled back to find a completely blushing and perfectly kissed Mogami Kyoko smiling up at him. She had never looked sexier in his eyes. He scooped her up, threw her over his shoulder with his hand firmly planted on her ass to hold her still. "Yashiro-san... Please clear our schedules for the day." He told the gawking agent with a smirk and carried her out the front doors for all of the world to see his successful trapping of his quarry as she smirked triumphantly to all who witnessed.


	22. Blond

_**Blond**_

* * *

She looked... Yes, she had looked. She may have convinced herself that she didn't, but in the back of her mind the information had wormed (no pun intended) its way in and stayed. It would haunt her dreams and she would awaken in the mornings wondering why she was all flustered by a dream she couldn't remember. One word would haunt her every time she thought of him "Blond" and she just didn't know why. Was it because Corn had used his image? No... That couldn't be it. Why on Earth did she start seeing him as a blond? Certainly she had feelings for him that she chose not to reveal, but dear god why would it bother her so much? Why did she feel the need to fluster and blush whenever she thought of him or, saw him. Why did she always find her eyes slowly trailing down when she saw him from afar?

"No... I never looked and I didn't see anything." She would chant to herself when they would separate. Maybe the curiosity would leave and that niggling little itch would go away.


	23. How It All Began

_**How It All Began**_

* * *

They hadn't seen each other in at least two weeks and their schedules had been so packed they hadn't even had time to see each other in passing. Between him trying to make up his schedule from filming **_Tragic Marker_ ** and her newly packed schedule from _**Sacred Lotus** _ and her new modeling contracts, they really hadn't had enough time to just enjoy the company of one another. Now this new project that they had started working on with Director Ogata, the only time they saw each other was when they were doing their scenes together, some very steamy and tension filled scenes of a police drama.

It was only supposed to be a scene where the two leads had a hot and heavy make-out session, so how the hell did this happen? Why could no one say anything as the pair got lost in the scene? One would have thought that the second that his hands skimmed up under her skirt as he slammed her against the wall and lifted her to his hips, grinding into her lasciviously, that the director would have at least said something, but the poor gentle Director Ogata was stunned beyond words and the rest of the cast and crew were speechless. Mouths went dry and jaws dropped when her small hands flicked open his belt and the zipper of his pants almost flew open from the pressure of his excitement. Her moans of pleasure ripped from her throat and caressed his ears as they floated about the set and into the cameras for posterity.

One would have thought that someone would have said at least something when he blindly ripped her panties from her well toned backside and quickly filled her. They were both completely gone and the poor, shy director quickly dismissed absolutely everyone from the set, demanding all recording devices and quickly instructed the AD to hand out the ND's that Lory had provided when he had suspected that the sexual tension between the pair was coming to a head.

Director Ogata cracked the studio door and peeked in, shook his head and locked the door before turning to the pair's manager. "I... I think it's going to be awhile." He stuttered, blushing and flustered.

Yashiro had been in the green room, making phone calls and working on their schedules. He had no idea what was going on in the studio. "Ogata-san? Is everything okay? Where's Kyoko and Ren?"

"Um... Kyoko-san and Tsuruga-san are um... Busy?" He sheepishly pointed to the door, blushing even more. If that was even possible.

Yashiro creased his brow in confusion.

"OH GOD! YES! RIGHT THERE! YES! FASTER! HARDER!" Her voice screamed out through the large door.

After 45 minutes of their ears burning it was finally coming to an end, no pun intended.

"OH GOD, KYOKO! I'M COMING!" The male voice shouted in pleasure.

"YES! YES! AHHHHH! OH MY GOD, YESSSSS!" Two pleasure soaked voices howled.

Yashiro and Ogata just stared at the door in disbelief. "Um... I suppose I should call Takarada-san?" Yashiro said quietly.

"OH SHIT!" The male cursed when he notice their predicament.

"OH MY GOD, REN! WE'RE AT WORK!" She screamed out in mortification. "Mmmmfmm..." Her voice muffled.

"I love you, Kyoko." He told the stunned female after pulling away, still holding her tightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to find out this way." He confessed.

She blushed furiously. "What do we do?"

"Don't worry. I'll take care of everything." He reassured her as his fingers gently caressed her cheek and brushed away the worried tears.

* * *

Lory smirked into the phone as Yashiro briefed him on the situation.

"Bring them in ASAP." He chuckled as he hung up the phone and pulled out the little document that had been resting in a file for months now. He pulled out a cigar and prepped it, then lit up.

* * *

The pair sat nervously in front of their boss.

"Well, you two don't do anything by halves do you?" Lory chuckled and slid the document in front of them. "I'm going to assume you didn't use protection?"

The pair paled.

He smirked. "As I thought." He tapped his finger on the piece of paper. "The only way you two will escape a huge scandal is to sign this." He pushed it to them and rolled two pens to them.

Eyes went wide and shot to Lory. It wasn't as if they had a problem with something like this, but they just thought that perhaps they would have dated a little longer, publicly before this huge step.

"Boss?" Ren looked at Kyoko nervously.

"Is there a problem?" Lory queried.

Both heads shook in the negative.

"Good, then sign and we can move on." He commanded.

The pair nodded and did as they were told.

"Now, you have two weeks for your Honeymoon. Yashiro has your itinerary and your directors have been informed and a press release is being issued as we speak. Ruto is waiting in the garage for you when you're finished speaking to Yashiro-kun." He waved to them indicating that they were dismissed and the stunned pair left the office. "Enjoy Guam." He called out as they left the room and chuckled.


	24. LoveMe

_**LoveMe!**_

* * *

She poured the headache powders into the glass on her desk, groaned and rubbed her temples as she scanned through the documents that had been handed to her by her assistant. The boy had been so polite and reserved when he started out. What he had been up to lately had been shocking. The blatant disrespect toward others was appalling. This was going to take a lot of finessing in order to cover this from the press. She often wondered if her male counterpart over at LME had these types of difficulties with his own talents.

She supposed had she never paired these two up, she would have never discovered the weaknesses of one of her best managers. Aki Shoko... She thought about it and shook her head. She certainly hoped that the woman had been using protection. It certainly wouldn't do for a manager to be the heart of her charge's scandal. She shook her head again. She was going to have to reassign the woman, because she obviously couldn't control herself or, her charge.

She sighed as she flipped through the file. She could understand his fascination with the actress, but really? Stalking, kidnapping, physical assault, harassment and sexual harassment. What made it even worse was the fact that he had been threatening Ren Tsuruga too. At what point did he think that was a wise decision? Especially when she researched him after he came out with his real name, Kuon Hizuri. Her charge was just poking a hornet's nest with a stick at this point. What on Earth was he thinking when claiming that Hizuri's wife was his fiancée? In an international magazine, no less! Trying to claim it was a legitimate arranged marriage. It was absurd! How could he or, Shoko have thought that was good for his image? It made him look desperate. Well, with his current personality, she could understand a girl not willingly marrying him, but to advertise it like that... She shook her head. She picked up her phone and dialed.

* * *

"Lory here... Oh! Haven't heard from you in awhile... Certainly... Of course! MmmHmm... Yes... I see... No, no, it's not trademarked... I would be happy to..." His smile grew wide. "Of course not!... This is how it works." He then began his detailed description and explanation of the LoveMe Section. He beamed proudly at the thought of this particular idea spreading throughout the industry, one talent agency at a time.


	25. When Plans Go Awry

_**When Plans Go Awry**_

* * *

He was stunned. This did not go as he had planned at all. His parents were supposed to come to Tokyo, see that she was living alone in that dingy little, crap restaurant and take her back with them. Instead he found himself sitting in the backseat of his parent's car, with a contract that was canceled under the threat of him being underaged, employed by Akatoki without their permission and she was emancipated with the blessing of the woman that he thought hated her.

What had happened? Well, after Fuwa Yayoi and Sho's father had met the Okami and the Taisho of the Darumaya, they were satisfied that Kyoko was in safe hands of some very kind and down to Earth people that just so happened to be old friends. In the process of reminiscing with said friends, the Fuwas had been updated on the abhorrent behavior of their son, which was actually the reason for the visit in the first place. Sho couldn't have possibly known that the only reason why the older couple had even allowed him in the restaurant was due to the fact that they had been asked to keep an eye on the pair after they had discovered the identities of said children when Kyoko had filled out her job application.

Yayoi was disgusted by her son's behavior with Kyoko and appalled at the rumors that were circulating about him and his manager, along with a vast number of starlets. What made thing worse for Yayoi was the fact that Saena had called her, just after her meeting with Kyoko and informed her to keep her stalker son away from her daughter or, she would take legal steps to see to it that he never came near her again.

Saena had discovered everything that Sho had ever done, via Susumu Todoh and the wonderful blessing of modern technology. Sho had been careless in his interactions with Kyoko, so his verbal abuses, his physical attacks, his sexual assault, kidnapping of her and even some of his violent temper tantrums that he displayed in the empty halls, along with draping himself over several female directors, producers and photographers, had all been caught on security camera films, recorded by bystanders and posted on the internet and all had willing witnesses.

Never in his wildest dreams did he think that when he called his mother and told her that the entertainment industry was corrupting Kyoko and turning her into a loose woman, his parents would investigate first. He had actually believed that his parents trusted him implicitly when they gave his uncle permission to be his temporary guardian. He had no idea that Uncle Ken'Ichi had been informing them of the many times he had used his connections to the man, that it was getting back to his parents. He actually thought that he had been able to deceive them with his _"stellar"_ acting ability and convince them that he was genuinely concerned about her, not stalking her when he called for her scheduling and her personal address along with her phone number. He had no idea that they were in constant contact with Lory Takarada and he had politely informed them of the activities of their son to his #1 LoveMe girl and the reason that she was in that particular position.

When Yayoi had discovered what the LoveMe Section was and why Kyoko was there, she was livid. Kyoko was such a loving and caring girl. It galled her that her son was the sole person responsible for the state the girl was in now. She was ashamed to even claim him as her son when she discovered that Kyoko had to work three jobs and miss her first year of high school, while he sat in the lap of luxury and reaped the rewards for Kyoko's hard work. It was offensive and she was disgusted.

So, all of this was why, after visiting with Kyoko and their old friends for a week, she, her husband and her brother, paid a visit to the president of Akatoki on that fateful day and politely informed her that they wished for the contract to be null and void. Shotaro was released from Akatoki the next day and the money and fame that he so had relished in, was forfeit. His belongings were removed from the apartment of the manager that he was sleeping with and she was now being terminated from her position, along with being sued by Viride Law Offices for having illicit sexual relations with a minor. The information and photographic proof of the affair was also forwarded to the local police precinct for further investigation. They would be keeping a close eye on the managers of underaged talents of Akatoki for quite some time.

Sho ranted and raved at the unjustness of it all. He was six months older than that stupid girl. How was it that she wasn't being taken back with him? That was when his mother had dropped a little bit of reality on his head, which is something she felt she should have done long ago. She informed him that she was not Kyoko's mother and that Saena had given her full permission with pride. Kyoko was considered an adult now because she was emancipated and she could do as she saw fit with her life. Kyoko was more mature than he was and his mother didn't see her following him around Tokyo, harassing him or, doing any of the things he had done. Kyoko didn't sleep with strangers to advance her career and she most certainly didn't shame her family name with her behavior. He however, did. She told him and under no uncertain terms, _**that**_ was the reason he would not be returning to Tokyo until, no sooner than the day after his 20th birthday, almost three years hence.


	26. Consequences

_**Consequences**_

* * *

He never believed he would see the day when Mio Hongo would come to make her home in the LoveME room or Natsu Kitagawa. He also never believed he would be opening a bento full of spiders and other delightful creepy crawlies, but here he was and he knew he completely deserved it. Lory had warned him that the scandal would break and what it would be about. However, he did not warn him of the fallout.

Her words to his apology? "I don't understand why you feel you have to apologize to me Tsuruga-san. It was never any of my business who you love. I hope she makes you very happy." The way she had said it with unshed tears forming and a shaking voice, but with a fake smile that spoke volumes, broke his heart. He screwed up in a moment of weakness and he knew it. It was something he quite possibly couldn't repair. He realized too late that if he had only told her he loved her the night she ran to him, she would have returned that feeling in spades. Instead he had to find comfort in a woman that would shout his discretion to the world to advance her own career, leaving his personal life in a shambles.

The thing that hurt the most, was when Sho Fuwa approached him with a wide smile and congratulated him on doing what he was never able to do, completely break her. He told him he was impressed with the way he had tossed her aside and never thought Ren had it in him to do it. He had asked if she had gotten too clingy with him and sympathized. He told him that he wished he had thought of the idea first, perhaps she would have actually gone home in the beginning and not been such a thorn in his side for these past years. That, other than her own mother, no one had ever been able to make her look so pathetic.

The next hit was from Hikaru Ishibashi. Well known to be friendly and gentle. "I'm only being cordial to you because it's my job, Tsuruga. You will find no friends in Bridge Rock after what you did to her." He quietly informed him in a very uncharacteristic caustic tone when he had asked about Bo the Chicken before he was set to be interviewed. He wanted to be indignant for being lied to, but she didn't really lie. Did she? More than anything, she helped him and at the time she still didn't see that she was the one he was talking about. Who else could he be talking about? An image of the girl whose mugshot was on the entertainment news, the morning after his mistake, flashed into his mind. There was another mistake he had made. He wanted to blame the fates and destiny, but could he really blame that for his own screw-ups? He realized at that moment that her being forced to kiss someone was nothing compared to kissing back and taking it a bit further because of jealousy and self-pity.


	27. Never Late King

_**The First Time Ren Tsuruga Was Late**_

* * *

It was just too early in her day to deal with this. Why was he even here? Why was he doing this? She stood flabbergasted at what was taking place before her. Here was Sho, in the dining room of the Darumaya, standing before her after he'd apologized to her and told her he loved her, with a small ring in his hand, asking her to wear it for him while he was away. _A promise ring! What the ever-loving hell was going on?! Did he hit his head?_

"Kyoko... Please say something, anything... Yell at me... curse at me... say something." He plead with her desperately.

It was something akin to witnessing the birth of a unicorn or something to that effect, in her mind. She honestly didn't really know how to respond, she was so completely stunned. "W-Why? W-Why are you doing this now, Sho? I've never meant anything to you before. What do you really want from me? I'm not even your type, you've made that clear many times." This really wasn't something that she wanted now, maybe a year ago, but now... No. She wasn't that girl anymore, not with the way he'd treated her in the past, not with the hurtful things he'd said to her. She just couldn't do what he was asking, even if she had chosen to forgive him, and move on.

Ren and Yukihito stood in the doorway watching in horror as Sho just sighed, placed the beautiful little showy ring in her palm, closing her fingers around it, and kissing her gently on her forehead. "Give it some thought... Okay, Kyoko-chan? I miss you..." He then left with his head down. He didn't need those two seeing the somewhat defeated, and uncertain look on his face. It was none of their business.

"Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro almost choked out worriedly, staring at her small hand that was firmly wrapped around the small ring, meant for her finger in Sho's promise to her. "Are you okay?"

She finally looked up at the two men that had entered. She was pale, bewildered, distressed, with small tears lightly tracing down her cheeks. She shook her head. "Yashiro-san? Tsuruga-san?"

"Are you okay? He didn't hurt you again did he?" Ren asked, remembering how he'd overheard the conversation between the two when they were filming Dark Moon.

She shook her head. "H-He... I-I can't... I can't hurt him like he hurt me. I don't know what to do." She looked at the two painfully. "I don't feel like that for him... He... He told me he loves me."

Ren's jaw clenched along with his fist.

"H-He gave me a promise ring. I don't know what to do with it. I-I don't know what to do. I never thought he would say something like that... I never thought anyone would say something like that to me. Is he playing with me?" She shook her head, and she frowned a little. "I-It almost looks like the one you gave Morizumi-san... I'm not complaining, but I... I really don't want to do this... What do I tell him? How do I do it without hurting him?" She was now rambling to herself, trying to figure out what she'd done to deserve this. The man she once loved, now wanted her, and the man she loved now, didn't. "How could he do this to me? Did I slaughter a small village in another life, and now I'm being punished for it? Why do things have to be like this? He doesn't really love me, does he? Is he saying this just to mess with me?" She mumbled, pacing back and forth. "Why can't he just forget about me? Why can't the one person I care about, feel that way about me?" She looked up at Yashiro. "Am I cursed? Is there something wrong with me? First my mother... then Corn left... then Sho, oh but now he's back... yea..." She gave a little sarcastic cheer. She stood in front of Yashiro, not even looking at Ren or realizing he was listening in stunned silence, forgetting he was even there. "Well? How is it that a evil person like Kimiko Morizumi can find someone so wonderful to love her, and I have to end up with a despicable playboy like Sho?!" She poked him in the shoulder. "Why her?! She's a terrible person! She tried to kill me, and he still loves her!" She shoved the ring in her pocket, grabbed her jacket and bag, then stomped out of the tiny restaurant, leaving all in stunned silence, after announcing she would be walking to work, and she needed the fresh air to clear her mind.

Ren turned to Yashiro. "Care to tell me what she was talking about?"

Taisho cleared his throat. "I think I would like to know too. What is this about Fuwa-san hurting her before, and what was she talking about someone trying to kill her?" He asked with his arms crossed imposingly across his chest.

Yashiro winced. "I'm not sure if it's my place to tell."

"It may not be, but you had better. I've been allowing that boy in my restaurant to visit her for the past few months. Had I known he was a danger to her, I would have never allowed it, and I certainly don't like the idea of her life being threatened. You are not leaving here until I hear the entire story... SIT..." He pointed to the table closest to them, and both men immediately obeyed. It would be the first time in his illustrious career that the _"Never Late King"_ would be late, and he wouldn't be in his Cain Heel persona. Well, at least not outwardly.


	28. Am I Too Late?

_**Never Late King: Am I Too Late?**_

* * *

He did feel somewhat like a stalker as he listened in on the private conversation of the two. He was learning things that neither Yashiro, nor Kyoko had bothered to tell him, and it was a bit painful to hear it.

"Why are you here? Don't you have anything better to do with your time?" She commented irritably.

He sighed. "I didn't get the chance to give you your Return Gift. I was in New York, recording." He explained. "I wanted to make sure you got it from me personally." He told her, handing her the small, decorated box with a large purple ribbon wrapped around it. He stroked her cheek and smiled. "I wanted you to know that it was from me, not someone else. I wanted to give you something special. Something that no one has ever touched. Something unique, just like you." He told her.

Her brow furrowed. "I didn't really give you anything." She frowned cutely.

He smiled, and glanced in the competition's direction. "You may not have given me a delicious little wine gelée, but you did make me those chocolates. It's the first time anyone has ever done anything like that for me, and I felt you deserved more than a spur of the moment gift made by someone else." He explained as the visions of Ren's Valentine's gift, and the little flower ring he repaired danced through his mind. "I wanted to make it clear to you that you are the only girl I think of." He clarified, referring to Kimiko Morizumi, and her gift from Ren.

Her brow furrowed further and a tear escaped from the recent wounds. "Y-You do?"

The other male watched as Reino gently brushed the stray tear from her cheek. "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? You're the most interesting woman I've ever met. You're beautiful no matter what role you take, and you have your own special style of sensuality. I can't help, but think of you. You have me enchanted." He smirked a little, knowing that using that type of description would be his ace in the hole. He smiled softly. "Like a beautiful fairy queen."

Her eyes went wide with the compliment and she blushed. "Th-Thank you." She murmured.

Kuon felt his heart drop. Everything that stupid singer had said was true. He had failed her phenomenally. He hadn't appreciated her gift. He had paid special attention to every girl, but her. He had given that little troll Morizumi a gift when he should have just walked away, and he didn't tell Kyoko that she was the only special woman in his life. She was obviously now open to it, and he was just letting the chance slip through his fingers. How was he supposed to tell her who he was? What would she do? How would she react to his longstanding lie? He didn't tell her because he thought she wasn't ready, and thought that she would hate him. Even that idiot Sho had done something for her. How was he supposed to compete with that? The ass had actually swallowed his pride, apologized, and gave her a promise ring, and what the hell was this about everyone connecting him to Kimiko Morizumi? He couldn't stand her, and now that he knew the truth, he wanted to destroy her.

He heard her let out an exasperated sigh. "Reino... What is this?" She sounded a little perplexed, and amused? Yes, she sounded a bit amused.

"It's what it looks like." He told her, and Kuon could hear the smile in his stupid voice. He wanted to just walk up to the ass and punch him in the face. He'd told that idiot to stay away from her.

She giggled. "A dog tag?"

He saw his head nod in assent. "Read it." He smiled.

She snickered. This was actually cheering her up a bit. "Hello, my name is Reino. If you find me without my mistress, her name is Kyoko. She is an actress with LME. Please contact her." She sighed a little. "Why did you do this?" She asked.

He watched as Reino's hand reached up and stroked her cheek. "I already told you... I like you, Kyoko. I'm not going to lie to you, and I'm not going to force you to make a decision. Hold onto that until you decide what to do with it, and call me if you want." He told her, handing the box with a little card that had his phone number, and kissed her forehead. He smiled, and left her in the hall near her dressing room.

Kuon flinched when he heard her frustrated growl/scream/yell, and the slam of her door. It wasn't a loud one, but anyone in the hall could tell that she was definitely working through some difficult decisions. He was further stunned when he saw a Hiromune Koga knocking at her door, asking if she was okay.

"I'm fine Hiro-kun." She answered through the door as she was changing. "I'll be out in a minute." She told him, and Kuon watched as another of his competitors waited for her, leaning comfortably against the wall, with a worried look, talking to her as she changed.

"Problems again?" He sighed out, referring to her esteemed senpai lurking in the shadows.

A muffled no came as an answer. "Sho gave me a promise ring, and wants an answer... Then Reino stopped by with a Return Gift."

Kuon watched as _"Hiro-kun's"_ brow furrowed. Koga sighed. "That creep again? Doesn't he know when he's not wanted around?"

The door opened. "No... See?" She held out the two little trinkets.

"Whoa... That's even nicer than the one Tsuruga-kun gave Kimiko-chan. What are you going to do with it?" He asked a little impressed.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Probably mail it back to him."

He chuckled as he looked at the little heart-shaped pink dog tag. "And this one?"

She sighed. "I really don't know what to do with him. He basically said he wasn't expecting an answer, but I don't know if I can just not say anything to him."

Hiro smirked and wiggled an eyebrow. "Well, you do know how you can take care of that... Don't you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Really? I've got enough on my mind already."

"Come on... Just one dinner. I promise you won't regret it." He criss crossed his heart and gave her a little wink.

To Kuon's horror, he could see by the look on her face that she was actually thinking about it, and he needed to do something fast. This was a suitor he'd never even considered. He's always thought of Koga as a little flaky. He paled a little at the thought. _He's like Kyoko..._ The thought flitted across his mind. He could not let this happen. He knew for sure that if the two started dating, he would never get another chance in his lifetime. They were almost perfect for each other, and Koga had the reputation of a saint. His was even cleaner than his own.

 _Think... think... think... Come on Kuon! Think of something! Don't just stand here in the shadows hiding from her! Think of something, quick!_ He groaned silently. It was all or, nothing at this point, and he was being forced to make a decision. He'd always thought he had more time with her, but if he kept letting her think that she wasn't special to him, he would most certainly lose her. Quite possibly as soon as that very afternoon.

He took in a deep calming breath, stilled his nerves, and stepped out of the shadows, pretending that he hadn't been there for the past half-hour. It was now or, never. "Kyoko?"

She turned away from her companion, a little stiffly from the way he'd said her name. It was something she hadn't really expected. Firstly, wasn't he supposed to be filming or, at a photo-shoot? Yashiro-san had mentioned something about it last night when he called, before that fiasco with Sho. She paled a little remembering the entire event now. He'd been there to witness the entire thing. She groaned a little.

"Kyoko-chan? Are you okay?" Hiro asked her a little concerned. He'd never seen her react like that. Maybe a little silly when she was at the auditions, but was this the look you gave when someone like Tsuruga-kun came to visit? It was troublesome. She looked like she'd seen the Devil himself.

She groaned a little. "Yeah... I'll be okay, Hiro-kun. Can you give me a minute?"

He nodded, and looked at his watch. "You still have another thirty minutes before you're needed on set. You want me to stick around?"

She shook her head. "No... That won't be necessary. Go on ahead without me. I'll be there." She assured him.

He looked back at Tsuruga-kun, and then at her. "Are you sure?" He asked.

She nodded and he left reluctantly. She braced herself for the lecture on being unprofessional, on allowing Sho back into her life, about the little scene she'd made that morning. She closed her eyes, and prepared herself for a broken heart. What she didn't expect was to be whisked into her dressing room, the door to be firmly shut behind them, to be pulled into his arms, and to have him tell her he was sorry... over and over. Stunned and confused would be the only words to describe her state.

"I'm so, so sorry Kyoko-chan... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you." He told her. "I didn't know... I thought you wouldn't want to be near me ever again if I told you. I'm so sorry. I just can't help but love you. Please don't hate me for it. I'm sorry I lied to you. Please forgive me." He plead with her.

Oh my... She went from stiff and confused, to relaxed, curious and very perplexed. _Just exactly what was he apologizing for lying about?_ _Wait a minute..._ She thought to herself as she listened to him say her name. She shook her head, sighed a little in frustration, and was definitely no longer in the dark about her new/old situation. Firstly, and most foremost... He loved her. Secondly... He was Corn. She didn't know whether to laugh, cry or, scream.

She pushed away from him slightly, and stared into his eyes. He seemed so sincere, and very pathetic at the moment. _Contact lenses..._ She sighed, and shook her head. "Didn't you have work today?" She asked as a distraction. She needed time to clear her mind and think things over, to set things in order in her mind.

He shook his head. "No... I needed to see you. I needed to tell you the truth." He explained.

"What about Morizumi-san?" She asked, looking a little wounded.

He groaned a little. "I don't know where you got that idea, but I've never been or, wanted to be in a relationship with her. I've been waiting for you, Kyoko-chan." He told her.

"But you gave **her** a promise ring. She showed it to me. She said it was for luck." She pouted and felt the tears burning behind her eyes.

"It was when I was working with her. I _**only**_ meant it for luck. I didn't know that she was going around implying that it meant more than it did. If I were to give anyone a promise ring Kyoko... It would be _**you**_." He told her with a kicked puppy look that definitely confirmed that he was Corn.

 _ **KNOCK...KNOCK...KNOCK...**_

"Kyoko-chan, you're needed on the set!" The AD called through the door.

Kyoko groaned a little and looked up at Kuon, then at the door. "I'll be there shortly." She looked back up at Kuon, and pursed her lips, then narrowed her eyes. She pointed to the sofa. "Sit... We will discuss this later, Corn." She fixed her hair, and checked her costume. "I'll be back when I'm finished."

He nodded, and immediately did as he was told. He was not about to risk doing anything that would further tick her off or upset her.

* * *

Honestly? If she had told him to sit in seiza again he would have. He would have done it for the full three hours. He had sat on that sofa quietly contemplating everything he wanted to tell her. It was the point of no return now. There were no thoughts of even moving a single millimeter from that spot. What the cast and crew must have thought when they passed her dressing room and saw Ren Tsuruga sitting quietly, like a misbehaving child being punished in a time-out. Well, he most certainly looked the part.

He had a considerable amount of time to find a restaurant, make reservations, order flowers and candy, browse the internet for the most stunning promise ring he could find for her, a cute little stuffed puppy with fairy wings, and Kami only knows what else he'd done sitting there for those three hours. In short? Never leave a shopaholic alone to his own devices when he wants to make nice with his future girlfriend/fiancée/wife, because he had decided in those three hours that she was not going to end her day as anything other than just that, and she most certainly would be accepting those gifts, whether she wanted them or not.

He now understood what Lory had said about a man being in love. He was definitely beyond the point whether or not if he cared about making a fool of himself. If it made her see him, he would do it. If he had to rent one of the Big Screens in the Square, in downtown Tokyo, and have it scroll the words "I LOVE YOU, KYOKO!" for the world to see as bright as day, he would do it. He was not about to let her get away.

* * *

It had been the most grueling three hours of her life, but it was finally over and her mind and heart were settled. Anyone watching would have thought that she was completely focused, but her mind had been a maelstrom of emotion. She had completely submerged herself in Momiji and the Director was beside himself with glee with the results. Not a single NG from her, and they were completely ahead of schedule. Her filming was cleared for the next two days.

She trudged back to her dressing room to clean up and change, then finally straighten things out with her fake fairy. He had a lot of explaining to do before she gave him her final verdict.

"Kyoko-chan, have you given any thought to my offer?" She heard Hiro-kun ask as her hand rested on the doorknob of her room and she began to open it.

Her eyes went wide and her breath caught. He hadn't moved a single centimeter from where she had commanded him to sit, but somehow her room had been filled with flowers, candy, and stuffed animals out the wazoo. Nope, she definitely could not leave him alone, she surmised. Not when he felt the need to apologize for something. She groaned a little, and turned to Koga. "I'm sorry Hiro-kun, I don't think I'm going to be able to take you up on your offer." She opened the door wider so she could enter.

Koga's eyes went wide at the spectacle. It would appear that someone was either apologizing or going full-throttle. "Whoa, I see." He chuckled, and shook his head. "Well, maybe some other time." He smiled, and left for his own dressing room to change for his scenes with Chidori.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and took in a deep calming breath. She was not about to let him see her dazzled by the over-the-top display of affection or, whatever he meant for it to be. She was going to get straight answers from him today. No more dancing around the issue. Her heart couldn't take any more of the deflections she had been putting them both through. Straight and to the point. If it was bad news and she needed to move on, she would do it. She had a career, friends, and people that she considered family they would stand by her. She had the support that she needed to weather through anything that may come to pass from all of this nonsense.

"Am I late?" Green eyes slowly looked up into gold.

She let out a little gasp at the confirmation and shook her head, and sighed. "Do I get an explanation, Corn?"

He nodded. "It's Kuon... Kuon Hizuri."


End file.
